THE FOURTEENTH SERMON, UPON THE 40. PSALM: PREACHED IN THE time of public fast.

THE FOURTEENTH SERMON, UPON THE 40. PSALM: PREACHED IN THE time of public fast.
1 I waited patiently for the Lord, and he inclined unto me, and heard my cry.
2 He brought me also out of the horrible pit, out of the miry clay, and set my feet upon the rock: and ordered my goings.
3 And he hath put in my mouth a new song of praise unto our God: many shall see it and fear, and shall trust in the Lord.
4 Blessed is the man that maketh the Lord his trust, and regardeth not the proud, nor such as turn aside to lies.
5 O Lord my God, thou hast made thy wonderful works so many, that none can count in order to thee, thy thoughts toward us: I would declare and speak of them, but they are more then I am able to express.
6 Sacrifice and offering thou didst not desire: (for mine ears hast thou prepared) burnt offering and sin offering hast thou not required.
7 Thou said I, Loe, I am come, for in the roll of the book it is written of me.
8 I desired to do thy good will, O my God: yea thy law is within mine heart.
9 I have declared thy righteousness in the great Congregation: Loe, I will not refrain my lips, O Lord, thou knowest.
10 I have not hid thy righteousness within my heart, but I have declared thy truth and thy salvation: I have not concealed thy mercy and thy truth from the great Congregation.
11 Withdraw not thy tender mercy from me, O Lord: let thy mercy and thy truth always preserve me.
12 For innumerable troubles have compassed me, my sins have taken such hold upon me, that I am not able to look up: yea, they are moe in number then the hairs of mine head: therefore mine heart hath failed me.
13 Let it please thee, O Lord to deliver me: make haste, O Lord, to help me.
14 Let them be confounded and put to shame together that seek my soul to destroy it, let them be driven backward and put to rebuke that desire mine hurt.
15 Let them be destroyed for a reward of their shame, which say unto me, Aha, aha.
16 Let all them that seek thee, rejoice and be glad in thee: and let them that love thy salvation, say always, The Lord be praised.
17 Though I be poor and needy, the Lord thinketh on me: thou art mine helper and my deliverer: my God, make no tarrying.
This Psalm for the most part, tendeth to praise and thanksgiving: For the Author of it (David) partly praiseth God from his own late experience, and partly from the public experience of the whole Church. Therefore for this his experience, he offereth his service to God, protesting to be thankful to him, as he had been thankful in times past. And in the end of the Psalm, he retireth himself to prayer, and commendeth his estate to the protection of God, that as he had delivered him in time past, so he would continue the same in mercy to him in time to come. This I take to be the sum of this Psalm.
Touching the parts of it, we have three: in the first whereof we have the praise and commendation of the mercy and kindness of God, whereby it cometh to pass, that he rejecteth not them that depend upon him. In the second, for this experience that he hath found, he offereth his service to God; & as he had proclaimed his justice & mercy in time past, so he protesteth that he is ready to do the same in time to come. In the third, as I spake before, he retireth to prayer, he commendeth his estate to God, that as it had pleased him to preserve him in time past, so it would please him to preserve him in time to come. Following the literal meaning, this is the effect of the Psalm. If you take it otherwise, there is a notable prophecy concerning the office of Christ Jesus; concerning the abolishing of the old covenant, and establishing of the new: and concerning the sacrifice of our high Priest, the Priest of the New Testament, Christ Jesus.
Then to return to the first part: therein we have a singular experience set down: Indeed, if the circumstances were well considered, his experience is more than singular; for by the last Psalm, the estate and care wherein he was at this time may be easily gathered. He was pursued by the treason of his own son Absalom, he was pursued by the scorns and Iests of his own servants. In this great extremity, he bursteth out into prayer, & beggeth of God, that he would withdraw his hand from him for a space: and why? He was consumed with his own iniquity, he desireth, that at the last he would incline his ears to his prayers, and keep no longer silence at his tears, in respect he knew he was but a sojourner and a pilgrim in the earth, as the rest of his fathers were: he saith, withdraw thine heavy hand, O Lord, and let the mercy that I looked for, appear to me. Now, in this Psalm he letteth us see, what issue and end his long waiting obtained, to wit, a most blessed and happy end: For in this Psalm we see, that the Lord at last inclined his ear unto him, and shown in experience that though he answereth him not at first, yet he was not deaf, but accomplished his desire, in drawing him out of his misery in the which he lay; which misery he describeth by two proper similitudes.
The first similitude is taken from the pit. The second is taken from the mire of clay. At the last, the Lord drew him out of this horrible pit, and placed him upon the shore: he opposeth the rock unto the pit, and the fair way to the miry clay, and placed him upon a plain and fair way, and directed his journey. So his long expectation obtained a most happy issue.
In this his experience, there are three things that offer themselves to be considered: First, what was this that he sustained in this long waiting, what was it that made him to continue without despair. Secondly, what was David's exercise all the time of this long waiting. Thirdly, what issue & end this long waiting obtained. As for the waiting, there was no other thing that sustained him, but that same which we Christians call a Christian hope, or a Christian expectation; which hope is the work of the holy Spirit, wrought in us by the power thereof, whereby it cometh to pass, that we with great patience abide the performance of the Lord's promises.
In this hope there are two things enclosed: There is first, the absence of the thing hoped for, & yet notwithstanding a certain expectation of the same. This hope of ours is different from our faith, though it rise and spring thereof, in two special points: For the nature of faith, taketh hold on the promise; for nothing can be believed but the promise: promises are propounded to be believed, and commandments to be obeyed. The nature of faith then, taketh hold of the promise: The nature of hope looketh not so much to the promise, as to the thing promised. The nature of hope is to look continually, until it possess the thing that is promised. The nature of faith maketh the thing which is absent in itself and in very deed, to be present, as if it were extant and subsisting before thy senses: and therefore, faith is called the ground & substance of things absent; for faith maketh them as sure by the promise as if the thing promised were in my hand. It maketh me as sure of the promise, as if the debt were already paid. Hope again, maketh not the thing promised present, but looketh on still until it be present, and waiteth on continually until it possess it; and when it is obtained, then faith and hope cease: For what need we (saith the Apostle,) to hope for the thing we see or have in our hand? Now look how sure our faith is, as sure, of necessity, must our hope be. A sure promise maketh a sure faith: a slack promise will never make a constant faith. The promise of God is only sure: therefore the hope and faith that is grounded on God, is only sure. This sure Hope liveth in this world by way of patience, for impatiency cutteth the pillars of hope. Impatiency carrieth us to despair, and to lay violent hands on ourselves. So hope liveth by patience, and patience by hope. Now the matter of patience is trouble upon trouble. Affliction engendereth patience (saith the Apostle,) Romans 5. For a bed of ease is not a matter of patience, a prosperous course is not a matter to assay our hope: so trouble upon trouble, is the matter & exercise of patience; long putting off & delay of things hoped for, is ye exercise of true patience, Now, of this deduction I gather one proposition: That is a sure, constant & Christian hope, which being exercised by trouble upon trouble, by long process and delay of time, yet remaineth constant. Whoever is endued with such an hope, he may wait on still, he hath a sure and constant hope; But so is this hope whereof we speak, the hope of the gain. Therefore he had a Christian and sure hope. For his troubles, ye heard them the other day: he was pursued by the treason of his son, backbited by his servants; yet he abideth patiently. Indeed sometime he bursteth forth through impatience, but in an instant he took up himself; & to testify his long putting off and delay, he saith here, In waiting I waited. Then I say, ye have it proved, that David had a sure, firm, and constant hope. The surer that an anchor is, and the more deep it is fixed, it will be the worse to pluck up. Let the storm rage as it pleaseth, continue as it will, the anchor that is deeply fixed will hardly be plukt up. The anchor of our soul (saith the Apostle) is Hope: Therefore the more sure & deeply it is fixed, it will be the worse to pull up. Our whole study, diligence & care should be, to see, when & in what place we should cast this anchor of hope. Cast we our anchor on any man, the storm shall not rise so soon, but it shall unloose. Cast we it upon any creature, it can be no surer then the creature itself: Therefore when the storm cometh, it will rise up. In sum, cast we it anywhere below under the clouds, it must unloose in time of storm: Then this anchor differs from other anchors, it must enter within the veil, and reach in in Sancta sanctorum. It must take hold on Christ sitting at the right hand of his Father. There is no sure ground for our anchor, except it enter within the veil. And if we obtain access that we enter within the veil, there is no storm nor continuance of storm, (blow as it pleaseth,) yt will raise it up, & consequently cause us to make shipwreck of our souls. The Lord of his mercy grant unto every one of us, understanding that we may cast the Anchor of our hope aright.
As for the second thing, concerning the exercise wherein he was exercised enduring his waiting on, he noteth in the end of the verse, that he was employed in crying; and in the last Psalm, he was busied in praying, sighing and sobbing, enduring ye time of his long waiting. This was his exercise. And if this exercise had not continued, it had not been possible that his patience should have continued. By this exercise he entertaineth patience, and by patience he entertaineth hope. For as to this sighing and mourning, it is no ways contrary to the nature of hope, no more than joy is: for this mourning and sighing riseth of the long delay, and absence of the thing hoped for; as on the other part, the joy riseth of the approaching and drawing near in our expectations of the thing hoped for. So this sighing, crying, and praying was his exercise, and they are the only means to purchase strength, to stand and continue in hope.
As touching the third thing, ye hear what end & issue this long waiting of his took, to wit; a prosperous and a happy end. The Lord inclined his ear to him, and not only inclined he his ear, but granted him his hearts desire. Upon this ground I mark one or two things, and so I shall go forward.
The first thing I would have you to learn, is this; learn of David, your kind of exercise in extremity of troubles: Learn of David the right means whereby ye may entertain patience in greatest calamity. The means that he setteth down here, are crying, sighing, lamenting and praying unto God: and in other parts of the Psalm he addeth also many other means, though these be special. And if thou wouldest do well in these great agonies, thou shalt call to memory, the examples of the servants of God, who have passed the like straits. If thou do well, thou shalt call to memory the testimonies of the favor of God, shown to thyself, if thou hast felt any in thy life past: If thou do well, thou shalt call to memory, that the decree of the Lord's election is unchangeable; call to memory that his power is omnipotent; call to memory the singular works of the Lord toward his Elect. Let this be thine exercise in trouble. If this way thou be directed, thou mayst be assured, thou shalt obtain that issue & end that David did. Thus for ye first lesson.
The second thing I mark here, is this; I see here, that the Lord, though he put off and delay the effect of his prayer, and granteth not his desire at the first, yet he heareth him. I shall give you a certain argument, whereby thou mayst know that the Lord heareth, although he delay the effect of thy prayers. Continuest thou in prayer? hast thou this strength given thee to persevere in suiting anything? Thou mayst be assured he heareth: for this is an argument that he heareth thee, for naturally our impatiency carrieth us to desperation: Our lust is so great, specially in spiritual troubles, that we cannot continue in suiting; When thou therefore continuest in suiting, thou mayest be sure that this strength is furnished of God, and cometh from heaven. If thou have strength, he letteth thee see yt he heareth thy prayer, though he delay the effect and force thereof, yet pray continually.
This doctrine is so necessary for the troubled conscience, that I think it is the meetest bridle in the Scripture to restrain our impatiency: It is the meetest bit to hold us in continual exercise of patience. For if the heart understand, that the Lord hath rejected our prayer altogether, it is not possible to continue in prayer: so when we know that the Lord heareth us, suppose he delay, let us desire patience to abide his good will.
The third thing that I mark is this, his crying and weeping obtaineth a prosperous issue: for by his long crying he is drawn out of a terrible pit, by his long crying he is drawn out of the mire and deep clay. There is no pit so deep, take it as thou wilt, that can stay the ear of the ever living God. There is no distance of place, nor thickness of impediments that can stay the voice of any suppliant. Be the pit never so deep, wilt thou cry truly, thou shalt be heard. And it is as true on the other side, whosoever crieth and showteth, if his pit were never so deep, he is not drowned: hast thou this liberty to cry, in crying thou risest, the more thou continuest, the nearer is delivery: Therefore only he is in a miserable estate, who being thrown down in a deep and horrible pit, knoweth not, notwithstanding that he is there, nor feeleth not his misery. For as long as we have the knowledge and some feeling of our misery, be the pit as ugly as it will, we are in danger, but not lost: but where knowledge & feeling is away, there we are drowned; there is not one of us all but so long as we are here, we are in one pit or other. The pit of iniquity circleth us so long as we are here, there is no means to be delivered but by feeling our misery: for feeling maketh us to cry, and by crying we are heard. Thus much for the Prophets first experience.
Upon this in the third verse he taketh occasion to praise God by reason of this his singular experience, which gave him the matter & argument of a new song; This song is called a new song, by reason of the new occasion of the new delivery, which occasioneth to him the matter of new praise.
In the end of the verse, he setteth down two special uses of this praise whereunto it tendeth. The first use is, it tendeth to stir up the Church to follow his example in praising God. The second use of it tendeth to the edification of every member of the Church in the fear and worshipping of God. Of this verse I gather shortly two lessons, and so I shall go forward.
The first, who is it that putteth this song of praise in our mouth, who maketh us to sing this new song in our heart? only God putteth the song of praise in our mouth, and maketh us to sing this new song in our heart; for by nature none hath knowledge to praise him, nor will praise him. The way and manner how to praise him is, by a taste and feeling of his sweetness. It is not possible that the heart can praise him, except it have a taste thereof. All the benefits of the Lord whether they be spiritual or temporal, should be as many occasions of praise; but this silence is an argument of the hardness of our heart: for surely, if we were touched with a feeling of this sweetness, we would burst forth in praise; but our slothfulness showeth the hardness of our heart. And where this foul death continueth, there is no reconciliation with God.
The second thing that I mark, is upon the end of this verse. It is not enough to praise God thyself; it is not enough to thank him in thine own heart: But if thou be a true member of the Church, thou must propose this benefit to the Church: for benefits are not given as particular privileges to particular persons: but as public testimonies of the favor of God towards his Church. Therefore every benefit should be proposed to the Church, that the Church may have occasion to praise God in it. Now upon this third verse, he bursteth forth into that notable sentence which we have in the fourth verse: Blessed is the man that maketh the Lord his trust, and regardeth not the proud. Surely, that man is exceedingly blessed, who is not carried with the example of the proud and vain in the earth: for why? by nature there is never a one of us, but we are all proud & vain. Secondly, how forcible evil example is, all men by experience know. Thirdly, we know the multitude accounteth common custom and example for law. Therefore of necessity, that man must be exceedingly blessed, that in such a sight of evil examples, putteth his trust in God: Surely, these few in number that depend upon God, if they be compared with the rest of the world, of all men of the earth they will be counted most miserable and unhappy: and as the Apostle saith, they were the offscourings and sweepings of the world. For as long as they are here beneath in the kingdom of patience, their life is hid with Christ, and will not appear until the Lord appear, to be marvelous in his Saints, 2. Thes. 1. At the which time their bodies shall shine as the Sun, and their souls shall shine as the Angels. In hope of this estate, the poor members of the Church repose in the present peregrination. There are here two ways set down; There is a broad and an open way, wherein the proud and vain men of the earth walk. There is a narrow and a strait way, wherein the simple and they that depend on God walk. Indeed the broad way is large, easy and pleasant, there is no throng nor trouble in it, as would appear for a while; but the end of it is straightness, everlasting and terrible straightness. On the other side, the other way is strait in the entry, and many impediments are in that way, yet the end is large and pleasant, and bringeth a joyful eternity. I think that the sojourner, that is certain of a good lodging, may well endure the difficulties of the way: And therefore, seeing we are certain of our lodging, & that the way is short, let everyone strive to enter into it, how strait so ever it be, the end is large. The Lord of his mercy work in every one of us, that we may both know the way, and walk in it till our lives end.
The last thing that I mark upon this experience: ye see two ends why the Lord delayeth to help his servants. The first and special end is, that he may be the more glorified, the more that he differeth: The second end is, that these hasty men that will not abide the leisure of the Lord, may see themselves disappointed, when they see the servants of the Lord so mightily delivered. For there is not one amongst a thousand, that in patience will wait upon the deliverance of the Lord, but run to this or those means, unto unlawful means, and ever seek help for the present, although it be with the hurt of conscience. And these unlawful sorts of deliveries bring ever shame in the end: And therefore it is that the Lord delayeth his deliverance, that partly these hasty men may be ashamed, and that his glory might be the greater in the deliverance of his own.
In the fifth verse the Lord is praised from the public experience of the Church; for ye number of his blessings which he bestoweth, & is to bestow upon his Church, cannot be expressed. There is no heart able to conceive, nor mouth able to express ye infinite number of his blessings. The ear hath not heard (saith the Apostle,) ye eye hath not seen, nor hath it entered into the heart to conceive the ten thousandth part of the joy prepared for the children of God: for if this heart of ours were able to conceive any part of that joy, we should possess more of it here then we do. The little sparks of that joy and the feeling thereof, have such force in the children of God, that they carry their hearts out of their bodies as it were, and lift them up to the very heavens; then how great shall the full joy be, I pray you, when the whole soul shall be possessed fully? As for the greatness and excellency of the blessings of God, the heart of man is no way able to conceive, or the tongue to express. Albeit however we are not able to conceive them, let everyone travel to make a further and a greater progress in this knowledge: for the more we profit in this exercise, the more thankful may we be to God. Thus much concerning the first part of the Psalm.
In the second part (I shall be short by God's grace,) for this his experience which he hath found, he offereth his service freely to God, he offereth himself most voluntarily; as one who delighted in the law of the Lord; as one who hath proclaimed his mercy and justice, and the rest of his virtues in time past. And he confesseth in the 6. verse, that this obedience flowed not out of himself, but of the piercing of the ear of his heart. It pleaseth the Lord to prepare and open the ears of his heart, that he might obey him: for as to outward sacrifice and external worshipping, when it is disjoined from the inward service of the heart, the Lord hath no liking of it. Therefore it pleased the Lord to pierce the ear of his heart: And of this it cometh to pass that he cometh and offereth his service willingly, saying: I hear thee crying on me (Lord) in thy book. In the first word of thy book, hearken and take heed (ô David,) and here he saith, I am coming. If we follow the literal meaning of the words, this is the effect and meaning; but if we follow the mystical sense, there is here a clear prophecy of the Messiah: For the Apostle to the Hebrews, Chap. 10.5. bringeth in Christ Jesus speaking these same words of himself, which David here speaketh in the 7.8. and 9. verses. And for the better understanding of this prophecy, the Apostle in that place setteth down the circumstance of time when he spake these words, to wit: when he came into the world, when he took on our nature and was clothed with our flesh, he spake these words contained in the 7.8. and 9. verses. As to the words, the Apostle applieth them otherwise to Christ then David here doth to himself: for in the words which the Apostle citeth, there is a clause changed: for where David saith, thou hast pierced mine ear, the Apostle saith, thou hast given me a body. There appeareth to be a great difference here, yet I say the sentence remaineth one howsoever the words differ: And to let you see that the sentence is one, this is my reason. As the boring of the ear was a sign of obedience of the servant to the master, Exodus 21. so the taking on of our body and of our flesh in Christ, is a perfect sign of his obedience to his Father. And look how sure a sign of service the boring of the ear was to the master, as sure a token is the assuming of our flesh, of the obedience of Christ to his Father. So obedience is signified by the one, and obedience is signified by the other; as for Christ, he took not on this servile form for his own cause; but for our cause, and for us was his ear bored, soul and body sustaining that full wrath which we should have endured eternally: And yet notwithstanding so unthankful are we, that except he bore our ear after another sort; that is, bore our hearts and souls as Lydia's was, Acts 16. we can never thank him nor know him for this benefit.
Then the effect and sum of the Prophecy may be this: Christ would testify to us, that he is now by the benefit of the Father become our high Priest, not to offer legal sacrifices, the blood of lambs and goats as before; but to offer his own body which was the verity of all other sacrifices, that by this sacrifice our conscience might be purged. We have the abolishing of the Old Testament set down in the 6. verse: the establishing of the New Testament in the 7. verse: the office of Christ in the 8. verse.
Now as to the lessons, I mark two or three shortly, and so I shall end. The first lesson riseth out of the 6. verse; he saith in the 6. verse, it is not the worthiness of external worshipping, it is not the worthiness of legal sacrifices, that made the prayers of the ancients to be heard: It was not the worthiness of their ceremonies that made their delivery to be purchased: It is not the worthiness of our merits and satisfactions that maketh our prayers to be heard; it is only the blood of the Lamb that made David to be heard at that time, and us to be heard now, that purchased his deliverance then, and our deliverance now. Accursed therefore is that religion that mixeth any other merits with the merits of Christ; and double accursed is the religion that derogateth anything from the honor of this merit: This for the first lesson.
The second thing that I mark, is the end why David's prayer is heard, and our prayer is heard: The end is, not to abuse the goodness of God to the wantonness of the flesh; not to take occasion of the grace of God, to provoke him the next time to anger; but the end is, to consecrate soul and body to his service, and to make a public protestation everyone in his own calling, to be thankful to him in all time to come. This is the end wherefor the Lord delivereth us, and heareth our prayers.
I grant there is none of us but in one measure or other we abuse the grace of God, but there is an abusing with a fighting or reluctance; and there is another with a loose rein. And whosoever abuseth the grace of God with a loose rein, he casteth himself into the hands of God; and who so casteth himself oft into the hands of God, at the last he shall never come out. So in time let everyone beware to abuse the grace of God this way; but beg a liberty and a renewing of the Spirit, that that which is pleasing to him, may be also pleasing to us: and that which is displeasing to him, may be displeasing to us.
The last thing that I mark is this, whereof cometh this willingness and free offering of ourselves to the service of God? David noteth it in a word: It proceedeth not of external worshipping, but of the boring of the ear; except the Lord had prepared the ear of his heart, it was not possible for him to have brought with him a mind or a will to serve God. Then this willingness is wrought by the Spirit of God, and not only this willingness, but the doing and execution of his will is wrought by the Spirit of God: For by nature we are hard hearted; and more unfit then brute beasts to do the Lord's will. And therefore whosoever would be partaker of the grace of the New Testament, let him look into himself how far his will is reformed: For the more we submit our will to the will of God, the more we are partakers of the grace of the New Testament. So long as we make the will of man a rule to our will, we testify that we have not tasted of the grace of the New Testament: Only then are we partakers of the grace of the New Testament when the Spirit of grace boweth our will, and maketh it to obey in some part the will of God. For I mean not that our whole will can obey the will of God: It is not possible so long as we are here, that we can run one way: if the affections could run one way, and bend themselves wholly to God, in a manner we should possess life eternal in this life. But so long as we are here, we are compassed with two wills, from the which proceedeth two sorts of motions; affections and cogitations: In this battle the regenerate man continueth to the end. I require not a perfection of the will, or a perfection of the heart; but I desire a delight in the law and in the love of God: a will to love, and a pressing more and more to subdue our will to the love of God. Where this resisting is, the battle is; and where a battle continueth, there is a true Christian, who at the last shall get the victory. Resist thy wicked will, resist the motions thereof, resist the cogitations thereof, and sorrow for the actions thereof: if thou resist the motions and cogitations thereof, thou art in good estate. It is only the consenting to the actions and performance thereof that maketh thee guilty before God. Suppose thou hast evil cogitations & motions, yet if so be thou resist them, thou art not guilty before God. But if thou consent and perform the appetites of sin, the action will bring guiltiness, and guiltiness will banish light; and light being banished, God is banished. The obedience of sin banisheth a good will, and placeth instead thereof an evil will: so the perfection of a Christian in this life standeth in resisting: To try night and day that thou consent not to the actions of thy wicked will.
O then! it is a matter of great consequence to subdue & tame that great idol of evil will. We may speak of it as we please, and say, that we are able to do it, but of all the works of the earth it is the greatest: for such is the stubbornness of our will, that it will do nothing but what it liketh itself. Well, the perfection of a Christian standeth in striving; we must either strive, or we shall not be crowned.
Therefore let everyone beg of God, that he would work by his Spirit in this life, that he may resist the motions and cogitations of his heart; that he would arm him against the enticements thereof; that resisting here we may be crowned hereafter. In the last part of the Psal. he returneth to prayer; and as he had found the merciful delivery of God in time past, so he desireth that the Lord would continue the same mercy toward him in time to come, and undertake his protection against the troubles that were to ensue as well as he had done against the troubles past.
In this part he letteth us see this lesson, which if it were well learned, might stand us in great stead the whole course of our life: to wit, That the whole life of man in this earth (as Job saith) is a continual temptation, and the end of one misery is but an entry to a greater: so that our whole exercise should be to praise God for favors past, and to pray to God for times to come; that in praising and prayer our life being continually spent, we might hold Christ Jesus, who in life and death is exceeding advantage. To whom with the Father and the holy Spirit, be all honor and praise, world without end. So be it.